DIY Workbooks & Reusing Story Books

 Hola Mommies !!

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And now, welcome back to The Mommy At Home. 

This post is dedicated to all my mentors who had taken me under their wing, back when I had started teaching in 2012! A Big shout-out to all of them! My first job, where the UN-learning and RE-learning happened. 

Since our little ones seem to be stuck at home for a major part of 2021 also, it is our responsibility to expose them to as much educational resources as possible, while keeping the joy of learning intact. At the school campus, their learning would've been scaffolded by field trips and lab activities, etc. Since that isn't happening any time soon, I thought, why not try and create that ambience at home and have fun along the way. So, this post is all about DIY Workbooks and reusing available educational resources at home.  

Elementary education is where children build their foundation of subjects like science and math. You need to figure out which subject is most enjoyed by your child. Make that subject the base for teaching other subjects. My daughter enjoys English, both literature and grammar. Thus, I used story books to teach science, math and grammar. You can similarly, use one subject as the base and stem other subjects from it. 

I am going to talk about one DIY Workbook that I coupled with one story book (Jack and the Beanstalk). Through this combination, I taught English (Nouns, Articles, Punctuation, Story Elements), Science (Living & Non-living Things, Plants) and Math (Addition). This entire unit took around one working week (5 days) of teaching time and then followed by further practice, which is done off and on for regular revision. 

This proved to be a good method for me. My daughter didn't even realize that we were actually following a curriculum. For her, it was all the about the story! An example of how story books can be used for science - ask guiding questions like, 'How did Jack grow the beanstalk?'(concept of seeds), 'What all can you see on the beanstalk?' (parts of a plant). 

Incorporating art and craft in the unit is crucial, since children cannot look at books for too long; it becomes monotonous for them. If you have plants around you, then you can take toothpick pieces, stick a small strip of paper on them and write the parts of the plant on each strip. Ask the child to stick each piece of labelled toothpick on the plant. Of course, use a hardy plant for this and not the delicate ones! Since I didn't have plants around me, I drew and painted them for her on paper. Activities and art should always support conceptual learning, because children at this age are visual learners. 

In my first job ever as a teacher, I was blessed to be mentored in a school where projects and outdoor learning was of the utmost importance. I learnt a lot about tactile learning, modelling out concepts; and just how important it is to be at the same level as the child, both physically and metaphorically. Yes, always teach children by sitting down at the same level with them. They should be able to look you in the eye when you're speaking. They should be able to see you smile in appreciation; at the same time also understand when you're being serious. We just cannot give instructions to these little ones and walk away. If you have your own work as well, bring your laptop down on the mat too. While your child is drawing or doing an independent worksheet, you can quickly send out that important office mail. But, be sure to get free before the child finishes. One minute you make them wait, and their focus will be gone!

Research and presentation is an essential part of unit closure. Don't worry, these seem like big words but, we will of course, scale it down for out little ones. Once you are confident that your child knows the concept, give adequate material and clear instructions to enable them to present their learning. As an example, my daughter loves being on a make believe stage; so I asked her to explain the parts of a plant to her father and grandpa by drawing it on a half chart paper. I told her they didn't know anything about it; and now that she knows everything, it was time to become a teacher. She was thrilled at the idea of pretend play. The mere fact that she had a certain power and knowledge that the other person didn't have, gave her a boost of confidence. I had asked her to be ready at a specific day and time, all dressed up. While your child is presenting, do not interrupt or correct. Note down your observations and go back to revise accordingly. If all goes great, then it is time to celebrate! Whatever may be the outcome, appreciate your little one once the presentation is over. 

This is just an example of how things around the house can be reused. I will be sharing my workbook on my TpT Store. Follow my store and grab your copy now!

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Mommies, do share your insights on how we can make learning more effective for our little ones at home. I would love to hear from all of you! Share your thoughts in the comment section and let me know what else you would like me to post about. 

Until next time, stay safe! 💙💚💛